


Birds of a Feather

by ZeroTwo



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017), Legend of the Three Caballeros (Cartoon), The Three Caballeros (1944)
Genre: Alcohol, Bittersweet Ending, College, Love Triangles, M/M, Slow Burn, Smoking, Swearing, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23860927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeroTwo/pseuds/ZeroTwo
Summary: Honestly Donald had no idea why José had taken such a liking to him. The duck didn’t make new friends easily.
Relationships: Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles, José Carioca/Donald Duck, José Carioca/Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles, José Carioca/Panchito Pistoles
Comments: 86
Kudos: 206





	1. Happy Amigos

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is!! I've been working on this for a bit. It's all planned out (though I will have to do some slight rewriting thanks to the newest episode) but this is the only chapter that is ready for human eyes. 
> 
> This fic will focus on how the Three Caballeros met and formed their band in college, with a side helping of a love triangle! If you hadn't guessed already, this fic takes place in the Ducktales 2017 universe! It's also mostly from Donald's perspective, because I find him fun to write. 
> 
> Nothing explicit will happen in this fic, but there will be smoking, drinking, and swearing. 
> 
> I will add more character tags as they get added to the story, but most of them will have minor roles. The Caballeros take up a majority of the "screen time" as it were.
> 
> —
> 
> EDIT: I shortened the summary bc it was too blocky. Doubt anyone will notice but if you do that’s why it’s different.

“I’m getting a new roommate.” 

“What happened to your old one, did you scare him away?” Donald asked, not looking up from the guitar he was attempting to tune. 

José chuckled, “No. He is transferring schools next semester.” He sighed and leaned back against the tall window in Donald’s room, “For a while, I thought the school wouldn’t be able to find someone to rent the room to. Then I could have had a real bachelor pad to bring ladies back to, eh?”

At that Donald finally looked up at him from his place on the bed, “Ladies? Ha! What ladies? You haven’t had a date in months.” 

“You wound my pride!” José moaned, placing a hand over his heart and swaying dramatically. “Maybe I could get a date if I wasn’t so busy making sure you stay out of trouble.”

“Ugh you sound like my sister.”  
  
José pushed open the window he had been leaning against, “I’ll take that as a compliment.” A comfortable silence fell over them as the parrot reached into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He wordlessly lit one and leaned out the window, careful not to let any smoke in. Donald continued to pick lazily at a guitar string. He was so tired from finals he couldn’t even tell if it sounded good anymore.  
  
“So have you met the guy?” Donald asked, setting the guitar aside and standing up with a stretch.  
  
“Hm? Oh! The roommate, yes, well.” José took a drag from his cigarette before continuing, “He sent me an email..”  
  
Looking for something to do with his hands, Donald settled for picking up some of the clutter in his room. There were still notebooks and study guides strewn all over the floor from his last study session with Della and José nearly a week ago. “What did it say?”  
  
José’s face scrunched up, as if he was remembering something unpleasant, “Not much... and also too much.”  
  
“What does that even mean, Zé?”  
“The email was long, but the content was...” José shrugged, “You know how Della gets when she finds something that interests her.”

Donald nodded his head as he stacked his notebooks on his desk neatly, “She gets all excited and takes forever to say one simple thing.”  
  
José snapped his fingers, “It is like that! Exactly like that. He’s from Mexico City, and he seems very excited to be coming to Duckburg.”  
  
It was Donald’s turn to make a face, “Who would be excited about coming to Duckburg. It’s so boring here.”  
  
“You,” José shook a finger at him, “do not get to say that senhor Donald, the bravest adventurer in the world. You probably discovered Atlantis before you were potty trained!”  
  
Donald laughed heartily at that. José’s teasing always had that effect on him. He wished Della and his uncle would take a page out of his friend’s book. When Donald’s family teased him it often felt like he was the butt of the joke. With José it felt... warm and comfortable. There was no bite behind it, just a knowing smile and a wink. Honestly Donald had no idea why José had taken such a liking to him their freshman year of college. They had sat next to each other in BIO 101, and Donald soon discovered José was anything but shy. The parrot instantly struck up a conversation with him and before he knew it Donald was spending every other weekend in José’s dorm room attempting to work on homework but ultimately ending up watching TV and talking to his new friend. Talking with José was so effortless it scared Donald. The duck didn’t make new friends easily. Most of the time people would pretend to be his friend only because he was the nephew of the richest duck in the world and lived in a fancy mansion. Once they learned that Scrooge never gave Donald so much as a penny they would suddenly lose interest in hanging out with him.  
  
  


The first time Donald offered for their next homework session to be at his place he feared the worst. He was such a nervous wreck the day before that even Della stopped tormenting him long enough to attempt to comfort him. Donald knew she had similar experiences with bringing friends over. Though at least Della was charming and could effortlessly make friends with literally everyone around her unlike her short tempered brother. Despite all the anxiety surrounding the event, José barely batted an eye when Donald led him up the hill to the giant manor he called home. Once they got to his room, and past the always nagging Duckworth, José broke his silence by asking if he could smoke.

“You can, but do it out the window. My uncle will throw a fit if he smells any smoke in my room.” Donald had answered while pointing towards the window he usually kept closed and curtained. 

“Muito obrigado.” José smiled at him before pulling back the dark curtains. 

Donald had sat nervously on his bed and looked expectantly at José’s back as if expecting any minute now he’d turn around and start asking for money or to meet his uncle as many of his friends had before. What he really wanted was to ask José was if he liked the band posters that covered his bedroom walls, but that felt stupid. Before he got the chance to open his beak though, his friend had let out a little hum and turned his head slightly towards the duck.

“You know what is funny to me?” José didn’t wait for an answer, “You live in the biggest house in all of Duckburg… but I am pretty sure this is the smallest room in the whole state.”

“My uncle makes me pay rent.” Donald blurted out, a sheepish grin growing on his face.

And José had laughed at that. It was a musical kind of laugh Donald had never heard from his friend before. A laugh that had made his stomach tighten in a way he still couldn’t decipher. All he could think was how much he wanted to hear José laugh like that again. 

Donald was ripped away from his memories as the door to his room slammed open, causing an already drooping poster on his wall to slide down even more. He growled and turned to see his sister Della standing in the doorway with a grin on her face.

“KNOCK FIRST!” He all but screamed, reaching for the nearest textbook on his desk and throwing it full force at her.

Della dodged it easily, as if she had been through the same song and dance a hundred times, “You know this used to be my room too. I don’t have to knock!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Donald was growling now, always quick to anger.

José watched the exchange with a small smile on his beak, “Hello Della.”

She smiled brightly at him, “Oh hi José! I didn’t know you were here, anyway, you’ll never guess what-” Della suddenly squinted her eyes at the parrot, “Are you smoking? You said you were quitting!”

“I am quitting,” José pushed the cigarette into the window sill, “See? That was my last one.”

Della didn’t buy that and within seconds was on José, shoving her hand into his jacket and pulling out the pack he had out earlier. “Oh yeah? And what are these then?”

José put on his most charming smile, “Those are for emergencies.”

“Mhm.” She clicked her tongue and pocketed the pack, ignoring José’s whine. “Anyway, as I was saying.” Della rounded on Donald, “Scrooge and I found an ancient scroll depicting a mystic temple in Japan that-”

Donald frowned, “I’m not going.”

“You didn’t even let me finish! You see, there’s this curse that-”

Once again, Donald interrupted, “I’m. Not. Going. The next semester is going to start soon and I want to enjoy my time off for once!”

Della grabbed at his shirt, shaking him, “A thrilling adventure is the perfect thing to do to enjoy your time off! Come on, you haven’t adventured with us in a while now.”

“Unlike you, I don’t like skipping my classes.” Donald pushed her away and went to retrieve the book he had thrown at his sister earlier.

She grumbled, “You wouldn’t be skipping classes, they don’t even start for another week. Besides, Scrooge is finally letting me pilot the cargo plane! I’ve wanted to fly that baby for years now!” Della looked to José, “Help me out here buddy, if anyone can convince Donald to do something it’s you.”

José hummed, “I do not know about that…” He walked over to Donald, flinging an arm around his shoulders. Donald tried to ignore the way his face felt hotter all of a sudden. “I would love to help, but I’m feeling a bit off without my emergency supplies.” 

Della rolled her eyes, “I’m not giving you the cigarettes back.”

“Ah, then I cannot help you. Sadly…” José grinned back at her. Looking at Della’s annoyed reaction, Donald felt the anger that had been welling up in him start to fade away steadily. It was nice to be on the other side of the teasing for once.

“Fine fine. I know when I’ve lost.” Della started to make her way out of the room before smiling back at them, “For now! Della Duck never admits defeat!” She slammed the door behind her, shaking the whole room once again.

José huffed out a laugh and moved his arm away from Donald, much to the duck’s disappointment. “She sure is excitable, yes?” There was a fondness in his voice that made the green beast in Donald’s chest growl. 

“Sure.” Donald muttered, finally placing the textbook he had used as a weapon back on his desk with the others. “Thanks for the help in shaking her off, but I have a feeling I’m going to be going on that trip. Hopefully it’ll kill me.”

He’s startled when he feels a hand on his back, “Do not say things like that, Donald.” José spoke softly, and Donald could _hear_ the frown on his beak.

The touch felt far too intimate for Donald’s liking, “Oh I’m kidding, it’s just a joke jeez.” Donald shrugged off the hand and walked over to the beat up bean bag he kept in the corner of his room. “It’s just annoying. I don’t want to go on some silly adventure. I’m too old for stuff like that.” He plopped down and folded his arms, “You don’t know what those adventures are like.”

“No, I don’t.” José sighed, choosing to sit on the floor in front of Donald. “You never talk about them. I hear everything from Della’s perspective.” He smiled and nudged Donald’s foot with his own, “Help me understand, my friend.” 

Donald grumbled, and José could tell he was in for a rant. “First of all, they always sound simple at first. _Just a quick trip through the jungle! It’ll only take a day or two! I swear_!” José laughs at Donald’s impression of Della. “Then next thing you know, there’s a witch, or a ghost, or, or-”

“A curse?” José offered, trying to stifle his laughter. 

“A CURSE!” Donald pointed at him, a scowl forming on his face, “And then it turns into a whole new thing that never ends! There’s always some clue, or artifact, or treasure! Ugh! I haven’t even gone over all the death traps. Sure, most of them are predictable, but that’s not taking into account all the nutso contraptions Glomgold throws our way. I swear that guy stalks us. And if it’s not Glomgold it’s whatever villain of the week Uncle Scrooge has breathing down our necks.” 

José hummed, “When you put it like that, adventures do sound like a pain, eh? But there must be some things you like about it, Donald.” He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling, “You get to travel all over the world! Ah, I would love to travel..”

Donald’s scowl lessened slightly as he watched a dreamy look glaze over his friend’s face, “... I guess. I get to see some pretty cool places. Though it’s not like we get to do fun touristy stuff… well except for.” He smiled and pointed under his bed, “Grab that box for me.”

“Oh Donald, is this your collection of dirty magazines? How saucy.” José chuckled, scooting back a bit on the floor to grab at the box.

“N-No!” Donald tried to hide the blush forming on his face as he took the box from José. “These are, uh, my little collection.” He hesitated for a moment before prying open the box and tilting it towards José. 

José smiled at him, a warmth in his eyes, “Postcards! Are these from everywhere you have been? There are so many!” He reached in and pulled a few out, “You have been to Barcelona? You must tell me what it was like!”

“Beautiful.” Donald answered honestly, feeling a surge of pride rise in his chest. His postcards meant a lot to him, though he’d never admit it to anyone. No matter what happened during the journey he could look back at the postcards and remember the beauty of the cities he went to. They were the perfect time capsules. 

Silence fell over the two as they mindlessly shifted through the box, José occasionally made a noise of amazement and stared dreamily at the pictures. From what little José spoke of his youth, Donald knew he hadn’t been anywhere outside of Brazil until his move to Duckberg. He also knew that José had a fondness for learning about other cultures. A ping of guilt shot through Donald as he realized how he must have sounded as he complained about getting to travel all over the world. 

He was startled out of his thinking when José suddenly looked up at him. “Donald… have you ever been to Bahia?” The parrot was holding a card from Rio de Janeiro in one hand and one from São Paulo in the other.

“I don’t think so. Doesn’t sound familiar.” Donald admitted, “Why do you ask?”

“Ahh,” José sighed wistfully, “I ask because I would very much like to go there. I have never been either.” He shuffled the cards in his hands absentmindedly, his tone going soft. “My parents,” Donald sat up, having never heard his friend mention his parents before, “They met in Bahia. My mother once told me she fell in love with the city as much as she did with my father.” José's smile faltered for a moment, “It is one of the only times my mother has thought fondly of love, I believe.” He was quick to recover, the easy smile returning to his beak. “I think there must be something magical about that place.” 

Donald felt his heart rate start to pick up. “Magical?”

José didn't respond right away, instead he stood slowly and walked back to the window. He looked lost in his own thoughts with a glaze in his eyes. “When I fall in love,” José leaned his arms against the windowsill, closing his eyes as the breeze rustled his feathers, “I will go to Bahia… and I will confess all my feelings to the one I hold dear. And then we will dance all night.”

Donald locked away the memory of José at the windowsill, and held it close to his heart. 

  
  


\---

The adventure in Japan was every bit as terrible as Donald suspected it would be, but he really only had himself to blame for caving when Uncle Scrooge himself asked him to come along. He had a suspicion that Della had been the reason for that. Despite everything, he had been impressed with Della’s ability to safely fly the cargo plane. Not impressed enough to not mourn the loss of his precious vacation time though. His only solace was the small disposable camera he had brought along with him. Donald had wanted to take some pictures to show José when he got back. Their classes would be starting up soon, and they had agreed to meet up when he got back to buy textbooks together. 

“Donald, how beautiful!” José shifted through the stack of photos Donald had picked up from the corner store where he had the camera developed. Donald beamed, feeling like the trip might have been worth it in the end if he got to see his friend smile like that.

They had met up in their usual spot at a local burger joint and sat outside under one of the tacky red and yellow umbrella tables. Donald was working through his burger while José picked away at his order of fries. The monotony of Duckburg was comforting after spending time away, and Donald found his spirits much higher than they had been in days. 

“Yeah, and get this, the treasure was practically worthless. It held no monetary value, and Scrooge just ended up donating it to the local museum.” Donald chuckled, remembering the look of horror on his uncle’s face when they had found the old artifact. “It didn’t have any magical properties either, trust me I asked.”

José looked up at him, “I still cannot get over how casually you talk about things like magic. You know most people do not believe in it?”

“Most people haven’t seen what I’ve seen.” Donald grumbled, taking another bite of his burger. 

José shrugged, pulling all the photos together and stacking them neatly before sliding the stack towards Donald, “Thank you for showing me these. If it is alright, could I keep this one?” He pointed to the photo on the top of the stack, and Donald almost choked. It was a photo Della had taken after sneakily taking the camera from his bag. Donald was standing next to Scrooge, both of them obviously arguing over the map they were both holding.

“Why?” Donald frowned at it.

“I think it is funny.” José admitted, an unreadable expression on his face like always.

Donald tried not to read too much into it, “Knock yourself out, buddy.” He watched as José carefully folded the photo and slid it into a pocket on his over the shoulder bag. Donald was surprised to see José dig a little deeper and pull out a small package. 

“Oh, before I forget, here you go my friend.” José held it out with an uncharacteristically bashful smile. 

“This isn’t a trick is it?” Donald narrowed his eyes at it, “What’s this about?”

José looked confused, blinking at him before pushing the package into his hands, “No tricks. It’s a gift for your birthday.”

Donald’s grip on the package tightened, “M-My birthday? How did you know my birthday was today?” In all honesty, Donald had almost forgotten himself. He had never had much luck on his birthdays, so he had taken to ignoring them and hoping his bad luck would spare him for once.

“Della.” José shrugged, “She told me your birthday was coming up so I got you a gift, was that ok?”

Donald nodded quickly, not wanting to seem ungrateful. “Of course. Thanks pal!” He carefully unwrapped his gift and pulled out a small notebook. The cover of it caught his eye. It was a watercolor painting of Duckburg’s city skyline. “Wow, this is really cool! I can use this to write my songs. Where’d you get it?”

José waved a hand, “Nowhere special. I am glad you like it. Happy birthday, Donald.”

The way he said it, with such fondness in his tone, caused the white feathers on Donald’s cheeks to look a little redder than usual. He smiled down at his gift and ran a hand across it. The cover was ever so slightly damp, and he gasped. “José did you paint this yourself??”

“Maybe.” And José had the gall to wink at him, “Hurry and finish your burger, we are going to be late meeting the rooster.”

Any joy Donald had been feeling at receiving his gift seemed to drain out of him at the reminder. Upon returning home, José had told him his new roommate would be arriving the day they had planned to get textbooks and he wanted to invite him along to help him get used to the campus. Donald hated meeting new people, and from what little he knew of the guy he wasn’t going to be a fan. José described his emails as disjointed and excitable. All they had to go by appearances was that he was a rooster who would be waiting around the train station with a guitar case strapped to his back. What if the guy was a jerk? Then they’d be stuck with him all day. 

“You are making a face,” José snickered, “Come now, it will be fun!” He stood and gathered his trash, “You cannot be anxious of every little thing now.”

Watch me. Donald thought to himself, but followed José’s lead. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys as they approached his busted up station wagon. The car had been a gift for him and his sister when they turned 16. Of course Uncle Scrooge would give them the cheapest car he could find in all of Duckburg. Donald was surprised it lasted this long, but he took good care of it. Sure, sometimes it took an extra turn or two of his key to actually get it running, but a crappy car was better than no car. 

As they set out towards the train station, José suddenly sat up in his seat. Donald glanced at him worriedly before returning his eyes to the road.

“What’s up?” He turned the music he had been blaring down, “Don’t like Geezer?”

José shook his head, “You and Della! You are twins!”

“Wow, great detective work.”

“No, no,” José frowned, “You share a birthday. I didn’t realize until just now. I didn’t get Della a present.”

“Pfft.” Donald couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Dumbella will live. She gets plenty of presents from her fan club of a friend group.”

José sank back into his seat, “She does have a lot of friends. Still, I will get her something small I think. I do not want to be rude.”

“Whatever man.”

It wasn’t long until they were approaching the train station, and Donald parked the car. He could feel a pit growing in his stomach with how nervous he was. José must have sensed it because he patted Donald’s shoulder reassuringly. 

“We do not want to keep him waiting, yes? Let’s go!” 

They wandered towards the crowd of people gathered around the platform looking into the crowd for any sign of their new ‘friend’. José lit a cigarette and started humming some unfamiliar tune. Donald wanted to ask José what the guy’s name was, but he had a faint memory of José telling him and didn’t want to embarrass himself by asking again. Instead he walked slightly ahead of José and shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. He let out a quack when José suddenly tossed an arm around his shoulders and started waving, a big smile on his beak. 

“There he is Donald!” José sounded excited, but Donald couldn’t focus on much other than how close they were.

  
  
  


Still he lifted his head enough to follow José’s line of sight to- oh. Donald’s eyes widened a bit as he locked eyes with a tall, lanky rooster waving right back at them. There was no missing that impressive looking guitar case strapped to his back, or the brightest smile Donald had ever seen in his entire life. He was pulling along a large trunk, no doubt filled to the brim if the jeans sticking out the side were any indicator. The dusty flannel shirt he was wearing looked two sizes too small, which might have been why he hadn’t even bothered to button it up. It felt like time sped up and before he properly registered it, the rooster was standing right in front of them. He spread his arms out wide and pulled José and Donald into a tight hug. Donald heard José chuckle next to him, a little too close, and pushed back from the two.

“Saludos, amigos!” He all but yelled, pulling back from his monster of a hug. He grabbed José’s hand and started shaking it. Donald snickered at the way José’s whole body shook with the force of it. 

José, as always, took it in stride, “Welcome to Duckburg, Panchito!” Donald thanked whatever God was listening that he wouldn’t have to ask for his name, “I am José, and this here is Donald.” He looked Panchito up and down, as if assessing him.

“Donald Duck!” Panchito turned to him, and Donald shrunk back slightly, “Oh, I have heard some things about you!” He leaned in, “José wrote that you were a brave adventurer! Is that true?”

Donald gave José a look before replying, “Uh, sorta. I wouldn’t say that… exactly…”

“He is modest.” José patted Donald’s shoulder a little harder than usual. “How was the journey?”

“Very long!” Panchito sure didn’t _look_ like someone who had just been on a long trip. In fact he looked more energized than Della did after her morning coffee. “It was very exciting. I met lots of new people on the train.”

Donald frowned. Normally when he had to ride in a train he did everything in his power to avoid talking to anyone, including his own family. “Didn’t the trip take a few days? Why didn’t you take a plane?”

Panchito answered immediately, giggling all the while, “Because! It sounded more fun this way! Plus, I had never been on a train before.”

“What’s your review?” José asked, smiling up at Panchito.

The rooster held out two thumbs up and raised them high, “10 out of 10 my friends! I would highly recommend it to anyone.”

José started laughing in that warm way Donald desperately sought after. The fact that Panchito was able to get him to laugh like that within two minutes of meeting him made Donald’s blood boil. He decided he didn’t like Panchito, but refused to think too deeply about why. Donald had long ago convinced himself that the odd feeling in his chest that rose when he was around José was nothing more than feelings of friendship. He was one of the only real friends he had, so of course he would be a bit protective. Right?

“Panchito, I hope you do not mind me saying this but your English is very impressive.” José gestured towards himself, “I am self taught, so I do not always feel the most confident.”

Donald gawked at him. José rarely admitted any personal failings, especially to people he just met. 

Panchito placed a hand on José’s shoulder, “Don’t be silly, your English is great!” Donald had a sudden urge to slap Panchito’s hand away, but he squashed it. “Thank you for saying so, but I feel you are more impressive for being self taught. You see, my abuelito has a farm in Dallas! I spent most of my summers there as a kid.”

“Oh, how wonderful.” José seemed to lean a little closer, “That must have been fun.”

“Tons of fun,” Panchito suddenly rounded on Donald, pulling his hand from José and causing the parrot to stumble slightly, “Hey, Donald, is it true you went to Japan recently?”

Donald tried not to be annoyed that José had apparently been telling this guy his life’s story, “Uh. Yeah. I have pictures if you wanna see. They’re in the car.”

Panchito let out a yell and grabbed his trunk. “What are we waiting for then! Let’s go!”

\---

Donald gripped the steering wheel a little tighter when Panchito yelled out for the fifth time since they entered the car. Panchito was sitting in the back seat eagerly looking through the pictures Donald had been showing José not even an hour ago. The guy was too damn excitable, and it aggravated Donald. They were headed to the dorms to drop off Panchito’s things before going on a walk around campus. He wondered if he could survive the day without having a total meltdown.

“Wow, you’re so lucky Donald! I would love to visit Japan one day, it looks beautiful. Oh!” Panchito held up a photo, “Who’s this?”

José glanced back from the passenger seat, “That is Della, Donald’s sister. She is lovely, I do hope you get to meet her.”

“She’s cute.” Panchito smiled, “I guess good looks run in the family.”

Donald blushed, “What’s that supposed to mean?? Are you making fun of me?” 

“No, I’m not.” And Donald was startled by how sincere he sounded. His grip on the wheel loosened a bit. Maybe he had been a bit too quick to judge. 

“Oh.” He stared ahead at the road, “... do you like Geezer?”

“I’ve heard a few songs, but I’m not too familiar. Do you have a CD?” he could hear Panchito shifting forward in his seat.

Donald chuckled and pointed at the tape player. “I have a cassette. This car isn’t exactly the most up to date.”

“Old school, cool! Play some, I love hearing new music.” 

“Alright then, prepare to be blown away!” Donald pressed play on the tape player and turned the volume up. 

He couldn’t help but tap his hand to the beat of the song. Normally he would sing along but he didn’t know if he could handle the embarrassment of somebody he just met hearing his awful singing. That anxiety was apparently not shared by José who began to sing by the time the chorus came along. Donald’s stomach did a little flip, he had always thought José had a nice singing voice. It was soft and airy, the total opposite of his own singing. Surprisingly, Panchito began to tap against the back of Donald’s seat. He was beating a steady rhythm as if he were feeling out the song. Emboldened by the action, Donald opened his beak and started to sing along with José. He hoped the parrot’s voice would drown him out enough.

José smiled at him and started singing a little louder as if to challenge him to do the same. Well, Donald had always been the competitive type. He started to raise his volume as well. It didn’t take long before they were both practically yelling out the song, and when it ended they burst into a fit of laughter, Panchito included.

“You didn’t tell me you two were so musically gifted.” Panchito clapped, “We must have a jam session one of these days.”

“Thank you thank you,” José blew kisses into the air, “We will be here all week.”

Donald felt a laugh escape him, and the knot in his chest seemed to loosen a bit. He pulled into the underground parking lot beneath the dormitories and parked in an empty visitor lost. Panchito was the first to hop out of the car and start unloading. He was already blabbing about how excited he was to see his new room. Donald tuned him out, but still offered to carry his guitar case for him. José led the way up the stairs into the building and through the crowded corridors. He pointed out the laundry room and bathrooms to Panchito before leading them up another flight of stairs. They stopped in front of a door in the next hallway and José fished out some keys from his pocket. 

“Welcome to your new home,” José announced dramatically, pulling open the door and gesturing inside the room. Donald had visited José here a dozen times, and often wished he lived in the cramped dorm rather than back at the mansion. To him, it was cozy. The kitchen only consisted of a sink, a small fridge, and a microwave. Donald moved into the living room, or what could be called that. It was a tiny space attached to the kitchen with a small, worn-out couch and an even smaller TV. He had spent a lot of late nights watching old action movies with José and laughing at the bad acting and special effects. A voice in the back of his head told him that those movie nights would never be the same now that Panchito was around, but he shushed that voice and focused on helping Panchito move his trunk through the doorway. 

Panchito whistled, “This is a lot nicer than I was expecting, to be honest.”

“That’s because José is a neat freak.” Donald snickered, “You should see what some of the other dorm rooms look like. I heard one guy has a stack of pizza boxes that’s so high it touches the ceiling.”

“It’s true, I’ve seen it.” José winced, “He calls it Mt. Pizza. Not very original if you ask me.”

After shoving Panchito’s things into his room, the three of them headed back out. José handed Panchito the second set of keys as they headed downstairs. Conversation flowed easily between the three of them, and Donald was surprised to find himself grinning the whole walk over to their school campus. His anxieties from earlier in the day started to melt away and he wondered if it had anything to do with that infectious smile that seemed to be permanently attached to Panchito’s beak. Whatever it was, he was glad for the feeling… and he hoped it never went away.


	2. ¡Ay Caramba!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The semester has started! Donald learns a lot about Panchito and wonders how his friendship with José will change.

The room was far too quiet for Donald’s liking. He stared down at his plate and pushed his half eaten mashed potatoes around in an attempt to distract from it. There was no hiding from the heavy silence that filled the dining room though. Even Della who would usually be chattering nonstop about something or the other seemed to be trying to get through dinner as fast as possible. Donald heard his uncle put down his fork, but before the silence was broken Mrs. Beakley, a recent hire Donald was still getting used to seeing around the mansion, entered the room and placed a small cake in the middle of the table. 

“A small dessert. Courtesy of your uncle, to celebrate the start of the semester.” She announced and then took her leave. 

Donald glared at the cake. So that was his uncle’s game then. He tried to give Della a look, hoping his twin would pick up on the meaning of it. There was no stopping Della Duck when cake was involved though and before she could catch his eyes she was already grabbing a slice. Donald sighed and pushed his plate to the side before grabbing one himself. If you can’t beat em....

Uncle Scrooge cleared his throat loudly, “Glad to see you kids sticking around for once instead of running off to your rooms as soon as you finish your meal.” The twins shared a look before returning their attention to their cake. “You know, Della told me something interesting the other day.”

There was a choking sound from Della, who looked a lot like a deer in headlights. She swallowed and raised a hand defensively, “Hold on! You’re making it sound like I’m a snitch, and trust me Donald I’m not-”

Donald felt his heart sink. This was about him then, wasn’t it? He tried to keep calm and rolled his eyes, “I don’t care what Della told you.”

"Well, I do. She told me-" he paused when Della coughed a 'mentioned', "... she  _ mentioned  _ that you were taking a music theory class this semester.”

“Of all things to casually mention...”, Donald grumbled. He took an aggressive bite of his cake as he tried to calm himself. It would do him no favors if he lost his temper now. His uncle so  _ graciously _ paid for half of his tuition with the promise that Donald would take classes that would help him find a good paying job. Unfortunately, that meant taking a slew of boring business classes. “It’s just one fun class, so I don’t lose my mind staring at numbers all day.”

Scrooge narrowed his eyes, “I’m worried you’re not going into your classes with the proper attitude. You don’t need any distractions.”

The heat in Donald’s chest seemed to rise. He gripped his fork with a little more force than necessary and seriously considered chucking it at his uncle. Della seemed to sense his rising anger because she slapped a hand down at the table, effectively drawing Scrooge’s attention to her. 

“Oh so what if he takes a little music class. Successful people have to be skilled in a lot of things, right?” Della spoke through a mouthful of cake, “C’mon uncle Scrooge, loosen up.”

The mood in the room lightened considerably as Scrooge seemed to consider her words. Still, Donald’s temper wasn’t settled that easily. He felt like a child who needed his sister’s help against a bully. The feeling infuriated him. 

“I suppose you’re right. I was just expressing some worry is all.” Scrooge stood and grabbed the rest of the cake. Della looked devastated, obviously having wanted to grab another piece or two. “Have a nice night you two.” 

Donald watched him walk all the way out of the room before turning to Della, his anger flaring, “Thanks a lot Dumbella.” 

Her mouth fell open, “You can’t seriously think I thought something like that would happen right??” 

“I don’t know! Maybe!! Stop flapping your beak about my business anyway!” Donald hissed, his face getting red with rage.

“You’re unbelievable.” Della frowned and stood from her seat. “You’re lucky I was here to stop it from escalating.”

Donald stood quickly, fists clenched. “I don’t need your help! I could’ve handled it.”

His sister didn’t look convinced. Della rolled her eyes and left the room, mumbling something to herself. Donald’s chest rose and fell quickly and for a moment he considered following Della to continue the argument. This was normal for them, and in a way it was comforting. A screaming match would surely make the dreadful feeling in his heart go away, right? He let out a long breath and felt some heat drain away. A voice in the back of his head told him to go apologize to his sister, but he ignored it. 

He always did.

\---

Getting a hold of José was a nearly impossible task. Not only did the guy not have a phone but he was rarely ever in his dorm. Donald had circled the campus twice looking for him. They usually met up for lunch, and he hadn’t had any luck finding him in the usual spots. Finally he gave up and trudged his way to the library to find a quiet corner to eat in. As he walked in he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of José sitting at the front desk. He was talking animatedly to a girl Donald recognized from one of his classes. She was scribbling something on a slip of paper and walked off after handing it to José. Donald approached the desk and cleared his throat to alert José to his presence.

José looked up from where he was grinning at the slip of paper and gasped, “Oh! Donald! How has this first week been for you, my friend?”

“It’s, uh, been fine.” Donald scratched at his neck, “That was Carla right? I have her in my marketing class.” He wasn’t sure why he asked about her. Donald had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer.

His friend chuckled and waved the paper at Donald, “Yes, and she just gave me her number.”

There was an unpleasant tug at Donald’s heart that he refused to acknowledge, “Great going, now you just need a phone to call her with.”

José leaned across the desk towards Donald, “Surely you wouldn’t mind letting me borrow yours.” He walked his fingers up Donald’s chest, and the duck let out a quack.

“Knock it off.” Donald slapped his hand away, causing José to laugh. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I decided to get a part time job, and they needed help here. Not that it pays well, but it is convenient not having to leave campus .” José sighed, “Though I am getting antsy. Want to join me outside? I could use a smoke.”

Donald glanced at the elderly librarian who was organizing a pile of books behind José. “Is that ok? Won’t you get in trouble?”

His friend laughed and without another word turned to approach the older woman. “Oh Miss Roman?”

She turned to smile at him, “José I told you, goodness, it’s missus! I’m married!”

“Ah and what a shame that is.” José took her hand and gave it a kiss, “I will be stepping out for a moment.”

If Donald hadn’t seen José pull the same trick about a dozen other times on a dozen other women, he might have been shocked when the librarian let him leave without batting an eye. They found a quiet spot in the grass behind the library building and Donald slumped against the brick wall before pulling out the sandwich he had jammed in his bag before leaving the mansion that morning. José slid down to sit next to him, their shoulders bumping as he found a comfortable sitting position. Donald did everything he could to focus on unwrapping his sandwich rather than let his mind wander to thoughts of how  _ close _ the two of them were sitting. He took a frustrated bite of his sandwich and stared ahead, refusing to meet José’s eyes . The thumping in his chest that usually accompanied him whenever he was near José was so loud he worried his friend would hear it.

“Are you excited for today?” José asked before lighting the cigarette hanging out of his beak.

He was caught off guard by the question and took a moment to swallow what was in his mouth, “What do you mean?”

José tilted his head at him, his eyebrows knotting in confusion, “Today is the first day you go to your music class, right?”

Shit. That was right. “To be honest with you, I kind of forgot.” He looked down at his feet and shuffled them uncomfortably, “I’m thinking of dropping out of the class actually.”

“What?” José frowned, “Panchito is going to be pretty bummed if you don’t go.”

Ah yes, Donald had also almost forgotten about what he had learned when the three of them were buying textbooks last weekend. How could he forget though when Panchito had trilled excitedly when he realized Donald and him were holding the same ‘Beginners Guide to Music Theory’ book. The thought made a knot form in his stomach. Donald might not have hated the guy but if there was one thing he had learned about Panchito during their brief time together it was that he was unashamedly blunt which Donald found intimidating. As far as he could tell, Panchito wasn’t putting on any act. Donald envied that more than anything. How easy it must be for him to fit in and make friends. Just like Della. They’d probably be good friends even. That thought somehow made him more upset.

He realized a little too late that he hadn’t given José a response, but before he could think of anything to say José let out a sigh.

“Panchito is… a funny guy.” José was staring ahead, lost in a sea of his own thoughts. 

Donald swallowed, “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” José’s beak slowly turned into a smile, and Donald stared. He knows he shouldn’t think it, not about his best friend, but he does. He thinks… José’s smile is beautiful. 

The thought was invasive, and unwelcome in his mind. Many thoughts like it crowd his brain, desperately pushing at each other for attention he refuses to give them. There wasn’t a word for what he felt like when he was with José, but if there was it was lost in that crowd. His friend meant a lot to him, meant  _ something _ to him, but anytime he tried to dive deeper into those unknown waters he would come up gasping for air. The depth was frightening, and every time he got a little closer to the bottom he could feel something loosening in his heart. 

Did José understand this? Did he feel anything like how Donald felt? Were the moments of silence they shared actually filled with deep conversations between their souls? If Donald were as brave as José made him out to be, he might have asked. José’s shoulder nudging against him brought him back to reality, and he took another bite at his sandwich.

“Did you hear what I said?” José asked, having obviously noticed Donald spacing out.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Donald blushed at being caught in his thoughts.

José just shrugged and took a drag of his cigarette before continuing, “I was just saying how much of a morning person Panchito is. He actually spends time making breakfast. I’m pretty sure he has a lot of early classes.”

Donald found himself asking before he could think too much about it, “Has he been a good roommate? Like, are you getting along?”

“Hmm. He is loud sometimes.” José admitted, though there was a playfulness in his voice, “At least he doesn’t make too much of a mess like my last roommate. However…”

“However?”

José looked like he was holding back a laugh, “Panchito walks around the dorm without a shirt on. You would think he was raised in a barn.”

Donald snorted, “He sorta was if he spent as much time at his grandpa’s ranch as he claimed.” 

“Ugh, don’t get him started on that. For your own sanity.” José turned to him, “The other day he went on for hours about horseback riding. He even showed me a picture of his horse. If you ask me, he’s in love with it.”

Better a horse than your best friend, was all Donald could think. 

—-

Anxiety was a tough beast to tackle because, unlike the many dozens of mythical beasts Donald had encountered on his adventures, you couldn’t  _ actually  _ tackle it. His stomach twisted into unpleasant knots as he made his way to his next class. The staircase leading down into the basement of the building was full of students lounging around in between classes, and Donald did his best to squeeze his way through. Before he could find the correct room, he felt a finger tap at his back.

With a quack, he turned around quickly to meet Panchito, who was leaning over slightly to match Donald’s height, and his bright smile. Something flipped inside his stomach as he met Panchito’s shiny eyes.

“Donald!” he crowed, “How are you? You look glowing!”

That comment almost made Donald’s temper boil. He was certain the bags under his eyes and scowl on his face didn’t make him look  _ glowing _ . “I’m fine.”

Panchito straightened up and waggled his eyebrows at Donald, “You sure are! Come on, class is going to start soon. Let’s sit together!”

It wasn’t a question. Panchito grabbed Donald’s hand and practically dragged him down the hallway. Being around the rooster made the world feel like someone had pressed the fast forward button on the world’s remote and before he could fully wrap his head around it Donald found himself sitting in a small classroom. The room was slowly filling with other students, some were carrying instruments. Donald noticed the same guitar case from the train station resting on the ground by Panchito’s feet. In an effort to fill the silence between them with conversation, he pointed at it.

“How long have you been playing?” 

If Donald thought Panchito had been smiling before it was nothing compared to how bright his face suddenly got. “I’ve been playing since I was a kid. My papa taught me.” He patted the case with fondness, “He gave me this guitar when I started college. It was his way of wishing me luck I guess.”

“Oh.” Donald felt like he was intruding on information much too personal, but Panchito didn’t seem to mind. “So you haven’t had it long then?” 

Panchito shook his head, “It’s only been a few years.”

“This isn’t your first year?” Donald’s eyes widened when Panchito shook his head, “How old are you then?”

“You shouldn’t ask questions like that! How rude.” Panchito giggled, “I’m kidding. I’m 23.”

Only three years older than José and him then. “Cool. Uh…” He fiddled with his hands, unsure of what to say next. His eyes roamed the room and landed on someone listening to a CD player in the corner. “What kind of music do you like?”

“Hmm.” Panchito leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the desk. “I like all sorts of music. Mostly folksy, indie songs, but I like music you can dance to the most. Music is really powerful! It can create a physical sensation in your body.”

Donald smiled, “Yeah! Totally!” The knots in Donald’s stomach untangled slightly, “I like music that makes you feel a strong emotion. That’s why I like a lot of garage rock. There’s something so raw about it you know?” 

“I know exactly what you mean! We need to hang out and introduce each other to some new sounds.” Panchito tilted his head, “Do you play anything?”

“Sort of. I can play a lot of different instruments actually, but I’m not great at any of them.” Donald admitted. Picking up an instrument and trying to figure it out was one of his favorite pastimes, but with no proper practicing or learning he was an amatuer musician at best. “I want to learn more about music. It makes me happy, and not a lot makes me happy.”

As the words left his mouth, Donald wanted to grab them and shove them back in. He couldn’t believe he had admitted something so personal to Panchito. There was something about those kind eyes that made him want to bare his soul. It reminded him of how he had rambled on and on to José about his family problems one late night months ago. He had felt embarrassed about it back then, and that familiar flush returned to his face now.

“... I’m glad you found something to make you happy.” Panchito said in a low voice, and the pure genuineness of it made Donald’s heart skip. “Come over this weekend, let’s hang out. I’m sure José won’t mind.”

Again, it wasn’t a question, and even if it was Donald wouldn’t say no to it.

\---

“I hope you have fun at your sleepover!” Della teased, following Donald down the stairs. 

Donald’s cheeks burned red, “It’s not a sleepover. We’re adults, it’s just an overnight hang out.” 

Della put a hand to her chin and nodded, “Hm, hm, yes. I see! Forgive me, Mr. Duck! I didn’t know I was speaking to an adult.” 

With a huff, Donald pulled his backpack straps closer to his body. He wasn’t going to let Della’s teasing ruin his surprisingly good mood. True to Panchito’s word, José had no problem with Donald coming over for the weekend and even encouraged him to stay the night. It wasn’t the first time Donald had spent the night at José’s dorm, but the addition of Panchito made the night feel more exciting. Is this what having friends was like?

“Hey, don’t forget about Sunday night.” Della jostled his shoulder, “I’ll be bummed out if you do.”

Right. His dear old Uncle Scrooge had insisted they spend Sunday night playing board games together. He had some crazy notion that they weren’t spending enough ‘family time’ together. Donald was sure it was just an excuse to nag him about his classes again, but he was just as competitive as both Della and Scrooge so there was no way he was chickening out of it. 

“I won’t forget.” Donald pushed her hand away as he finally made it to the front door. “Um. Della?”

Della blinked at him, surprised by the sudden change in his tone, “Yeah, bud? Something wrong?”

He pulled his face into the most pathetic looking frown he could manage, “I…”

She put a hand over her heart, “Donald you can tell me anything. I promise not to spill any secrets.”

“... I’m borrowing all your Zombie Slayer movies, thanks, bye!” With no hesitation he threw the front door open and bolted outside towards the car. 

Della gasped and started chasing after him, “YOU LITTLE THIEF! GET BACK HERE!!”

Donald fumbled getting the keys out of his pocket, and nearly dropped them when he finally succeeded. He could hear his sister gaining on him so he quickly hopped in the front seat and shoved the key in the ignition. A triumphant laugh escaped his beak when the car came to life and he started to pull away. He rolled the window down and waved at Della, who looked steamed.

“I also raided your snack hoard, bye Dumbella!” Donald snickered, sticking his tongue out.

“JUST WAIT UNTIL I BEAT YOUR ASS AT SCROOGEOPOLY! THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!!” Della stopped running after him and raised a fist to the sky, “NO ONE GETS AWAY FROM STEALING FROM DELLA DUCK!”

As Donald pulled out of the mansion property and started the drive towards the college he couldn’t help the giddy laughter that seemed to flow out of him. Excitement prickled his skin, he couldn’t believe he managed to pull a fast one on his sister. Really she should blame herself because he learned the trick from her. In fact he had witnessed her pull it on Mrs. Beakley for the first time just the other night. The look in the older woman’s eyes told Donald it would be the first and only time it ever worked.

Caught in his thoughts, Donald almost missed the turn into the public parking lot across the street from José’s dorm building. He pulled into an empty spot and parked the care before grabbing his backpack and stepping out into the early night. It wasn’t very dark yet. The sky was mixing into a dull pink and blue overhead. The prickling excitement of the evening only grew as he made his way along the familiar path to José’s room. When he found himself standing in front of his door, he could hear muffled music and singing from the other side. With a calming breath he knocked on the wooden door.

Almost instantly it flew open to reveal Panchito, who was only wearing some dingy looking sweatpants and a stained apron with faded letters spelling out “kiss the cook”. The music he had heard through the door hit him at full force as Panchito pulled Donald into the room and spun him around excitedly.

“Donald! You’re here!” He laughed, “¡Caramba! What took you so long?”

When his head stopped spinning from Panchito’s enthusiastic greeting he took a look around the familiar room. Not much had changed since he was last there, José obviously still kept the place neat, but a few of Panchito’s things were strewn around. There was an old game console by the TV now, and a stack of unlabeled VHS tapes next to it. What really caught Donald’s attention was the wonderful smell floating through the small dorm. He turned back to face Panchito, almost forgetting that he had asked him a question.

“Huh? Oh I had to get my things together and sneak some movies away from my sister.” Donald chuckled at the memory, “Where’s José? And what’s that smell?”

Panchito beamed, “I’m making curry for dinner! It’s a recipe I’ve been wanting to try.” He cocked his head, “José went outside for a smoke, I’m surprised you didn’t see him on your way in!”

Donald shrugged and walked further in, tossing his backpack at the foot of the couch. “You like cooking then?” He didn’t really care about the answer if he was being honest, but a conversation was better than awkward silence.

“Oh I LOVE cooking!” Panchito turned down the music blaring from the small boom box he had set on the dingy little table Donald had seen José eat at a dozen times. “I have a lot of little siblings so I used to help my mama out in the kitchen.” 

“I can’t cook to save my life. Unless you want to count toast, and even that I burn.” Donald plopped his arms against the kitchen counter and rested his chin against them. 

“All it takes is a little practice. It’s a useful thing to know after all.” 

“What do you mean by that?”

Panchito shrugged, “Well, knowing how to cook is good because then you can cook for others. My mama is a dentist you see, and she works long hours. I wanted to get better at cooking so that she wouldn’t have to when she got home. Plus, I feel really happy when people eat my cooking and like it. My big sister even admires it!”

Donald stared at Panchito who had started to dish out rice onto a few plates. He wondered why Panchito, who had such a loving family, would decide to go to school all the way in Duckburg. He wanted to ask, but decided to reword the question.

“Cool uh.” He tapped a tuneless beat against the counter, “Is there any reason you decided to come to school here?”

At this question, Panchito laughed. “Sorry, are you asking why I would want to study music at one of the most prestigious colleges in America?” 

Donald blushed, “Stupid question.”

“No no, I’m sorry for laughing. It just caught me off guard.” He shook his head, “Enough about me though. Eat up.”

A plate of curry slid up next to Donald, and he almost commented that he didn’t ask for any. Instead he took the fork Panchito offered him and started to eat. Something in his gut told him that Panchito knew if he had asked, Donald would have said no. As he took his first bite, he was glad he hadn’t refused. 

Through a mouthful of rice he spoke, “This is delicious!!”

Panchito’s chest puffed out with pride, “Thank you! I think it’s a little too salty but I’m glad you like it. Not too bad for my first attempt, eh?” 

Donald nodded, hungrily shoving a few more bites into his beak before pointing at the boom box at the table, “What were you listening to?”

At the question, Panchito became a bit bashful. “Oh, it’s an old CD. Just the best hits of Tweeto Puente! He’s one of my  abuelito’s favorites. Kinda old school though.”

“No, it’s cool.” Donald tried not to spray his food everywhere as he reassured his friend.

Panchito took his apron off and threw it over a chair before grabbing a plate for himself. “I hope José comes back in soon. His food is gonna get cold.” He smiled at Donald, “Though I don’t mind spending time alone with you.”

It would have been hard for Donald to miss the way his heart suddenly jumped to his throat, but he had months of practice ignoring feelings like that. His face felt a little hotter at that moment, and for a second his eyes wandered to Panchito’s shirtless chest. Before he could be caught staring, he quickly returned his attention to his food.

“Uh. Yeah.” Donald swallowed a little too fast and started coughing.

Panchito sprang to action, running behind Donald and wrapping his arms around his chest, “Don’t worry! I know how to do the Heimlich movement!”

“W-Wait!” Donald tried to stop him between coughs.

“I see you two are having fun.” 

Donald didn’t even have to look to know José was standing in the front doorway, smirking at the scene in front of him. His cheeks burned with embarrassment and he quickly pushed himself away from Panchito. Despite how much he tried to forget, he could still feel the ghost of Panchito’s arms around him. Avoiding eye contact with either of them, Donald grumbled.

“Panchito thought I was choking, that's all.”

José hummed like he didn’t quite believe him, and damn did that just make Donald’s cheeks burn even brighter. Anger was not an uncommon emotion to accompany Donald when he was embarrassed, and he shoved the flame that was starting to ignite deep down into his stomach. It was one thing to get into screaming matches with his sister, but he didn’t think he could forgive himself if he yelled at José. A hand on his shoulder made him jolt, and he turned to meet a sympathetic smile from Panchito.

To his credit, he looked just as embarrassed as Donald felt. “Sorry amigo. I shouldn’t have just grabbed you like that.” 

“It’s fine.” He said quickly. It wasn’t fine but he’d say anything to move on from the situation.

José cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to him. “So, is that fun little hug included with dinner, Panchinho?” 

“Haha!” Panchito seemed to laugh a little harder than necessary, and Donald couldn’t help but notice a faint blush appear on his cheeks, “You’re such a kidder, José. Here let me make you a plate.”

Donald watched with careful eyes as Panchito hurried back towards the kitchen. It would have been hard for him to miss the way José’s gaze followed the lanky rooster as he went by. His skin prickled with a sudden flare of jealousy. Was José interested in Panchito? No, that couldn’t be right. José wasn’t… José liked girls. Donald was almost sure of that. If the months of watching José flirt with any girl who crossed his path told him anything it was that José Carioca was VERY interested in girls. The thought both placated him and made his anxiety rise. 

Desperate to get José’s attention, he grabbed his friend’s arm. “Hey, guess what I stole from my sister’s VHS collection.”

“Oh Donald,” José grinned, placing a hand over his and subsequently making Donald’s heart do a backflip, “please tell me it’s Zombie Slayer 1 through 5.”

Donald nodded, “That’s right. I hope you’re ready for the best movie night ever.”

“Zombie Slayer?” Panchito tilted his head as he approached with a plate for José. “What’s that?”

José took the plate from him, “Thank you for this.” He leaned against the wall, “The Zombie Slayer series is only the most cheesy, beautifully gorey b-horror movie series ever released. It sold so poorly that copies of it are hard to find.”

“My sister has all of them but she’s so stingy about her things she’s never let me borrow it.” Donald took over the explanation, excited to share with Panchito. “These movies are so bad they’re LEGENDARY!”

Panchito didn’t look like he really understood why the two of them were so excited, but he smiled nonetheless. “Sounds spooky. We better get started on them if we’re going to get through all 5!”

“That’s the spirit.” José waved his fork at Panchito, “This curry is excellent. You never cease to surprise me with your cooking.”

Again, Panchito blushed. Donald held back a growl and instead moved to the living room. He grabbed his backpack and started to dump the contents out onto the carpeted floor. Panchito followed after him, curious about what he was doing. By the time José had finished eating and joined them on the floor, Donald had organized the tapes into a stack and laid out all the various snacks he had snuck away from his sister. 

“Impressive haul.” José whistled, “I’ll be taking these.” He reached forward and grabbed a bag of skittles. 

“Hey! No fair, I was going to call dibs on those!” Donald pouted. 

“Too slow.” José teased, standing up to sit on the couch. “Hurry and put on the first movie, or I’ll steal those chocolate bars you like so much.” 

With a grumble Donald made his way to the small TV across from the couch. It was a relic even to the old room. Everytime he turned it on he’d have to give it a few smacks before it would come to life. When he finally got the tape going he turned around to find himself suddenly struck with a… situation.

The couch had always been the perfect size for him and José, but with Panchito now included the small size of the seat was much more obvious. Unlucky as always, Donald found himself staring at José and Panchito sitting at the edges of the couch with a small space left for him in the middle. There was no way he could sit there without touching either of them. He had already faltered one second too long, and he could see a question forming in the way Panchito was looking at him. Before he could be pressed, and before he could think too much about it, Donald sat between the two birds and hugged his arms to himself. Immediately he regretted the hasty decision. His right arm was pressed up against José, and his leg was brushing up against Panchito’s. Both points of contact felt electrifying in a terrifying way. He was no stranger to contact with José, but it was never very prolonged. This was far too close. Donald could feel his heartbeat start to pump a little faster. 

“This acting is so corny!” José laughed, drawing Donald back to reality.

Right. The movie had started. The movie that he and José talked endlessly about watching together one day was finally being played in front of them. Donald had always imagined they’d be in a similar position to now. Both sitting a little closer than usual on the couch and laughing at the bad special effects of the ancient horror movie. Maybe Donald would be brave enough to tell José how he felt that night. If only to get it off his chest. Yet, the reality was that Panchito was sitting just as close to him as José was. That did more than add complications to Donald’s fantasy scenario. It didn’t help that he was apparently a restless sitter, and kept shifting in his seat.

“Sorry guys,” Panchito suddenly spoke up as a zombie on screen started lumbering after the protagonist, “Can I stretch my legs out? I’m a bit cramped.”

“What’s the matter?” Donald grinned at him, “Do your feet hurt there, grandpa?” 

Panchito stuck a tongue out at him playfully, “You wouldn’t understand my pain, shorty.”

“Oh shush. Go ahead, my friend!” José suddenly perked up, “Let me adjust a bit too.” 

José pulled his legs up and leaned closer to Donald, moving one of his arms around his shoulder. It scared Donald how comfortable that position felt to him, but he didn’t have much time to dwell on it before getting distracted by Panchito resting his legs across his lap. He watched as Panchito rested a food on José’s thigh, and let his other rest in between Donald’s legs. By the time everyone had stopped shifting around, Donald thought his skin was going to burn right off him. Everywhere José was touching him felt like it was on fire, and Panchito knee knocking against his chest wasn’t helping. He kept his beak tightly shut, afraid he might express these feelings out loud.  
  
  
  


“Much better.” Panchito smiled before turning his attention back to the TV.

After a few torturous moments of silence for Donald, José clicked his tongue and gestured towards the screen, “Why would she run into the woods? She’s definitely going to get eaten now.”

“I think I’d make poor decisions too if I was getting chased by a zombie.” Panchito argued. 

Donald could barely register what they were saying at first. How were they not freaking out by how much contact their bodies had with each other?? Then again, José made a habit of bursting his personal space bubble. Maybe he was the weird one for thinking there was anything more to the warmth surrounding him than simple friendship. With difficulty, he tried to focus his attention on the movie in front of him. His overthinking would just cause him more stress than it was worth. 

José pinched Donald’s side causing him to quack loudly in surprise, “You look jumpy. Well, you always look jumpy. Is the movie getting to you that badly?”

“N-No! You know I can handle a little horor movie.” Donald growled, though he and José both knew that wasn’t true, in this instance it really wasn’t the horror movie getting to Donald’s nerves.

“I got just the thing.” He untangled himself from Donald and pushed Panchito’s feet off his lap. José quickly paused the TV before disappearing into his room. Panchito and Donald exchanged confused looks with each other. 

José called out from the other room, “I cannot believe I forgot to show you Donald.” He entered the living room carrying two cases of beer. “Look what I got.”

Donald gaped at him, “Where’d you get that?”

“Don’t be a snitch.” José laughed, “Don’t worry about where I got it from. Do you want one?” 

Panchito shifted uneasily in his seat, “Have you guys ever drunk alcohol before?”

With a scoff, Donald pushed Panchito’s legs off him and stood to meet José, “Yeah… I’ve had beer and stuff before. Give me one.”

It was true, this wasn’t the first time Donald had drank before. In fact, the first time he had was with José. They had stumbled into a house party that José had found out about. José had clearly more experience with the stuff than Donald, so he offered to watch over him if he wanted to drink any. Not wanting to seem like a square, Donald of course agreed to the offer. Though after a while they both ended up drunk and passed out in the bathroom. Since then he was careful to not get himself piss drunk every time he happened to have access to some booze. 

As he cracked open the can José tossed at him, he turned to Panchito, “Don’t tell me you’ve never drank. You’re the only one of us that can actually buy it.”

Panchito looked mildly offended, “Oh please, I could drink circles around you two. I just didn’t want to be responsible for your drunk butts once you had a single sip.”

“That’s rich.” José smirked, throwing a can at Panchito who caught it with ease. “Let’s toast then. To a fun night.”

“To a fun night…” Donald took a swig and finally felt his shoulders relax for the first time since he walked into the dorm. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your patience as I got this chapter out. I cannot describe to you how happy I was reading all the lovely comments on the first chapter. It really motivated me to work hard on this one. I hope it meets everyone's expectations!
> 
> If you haven't noticed, I'll go ahead and tell you I added a 5th chapter to this story in my plans. I had to rewrite a few things since Louie's Eleven came out and kinda messed with a few of my plans haha. 
> 
> Thank you all so much! See y'all in another month!
> 
> Find me on twitter @kingdedede
> 
> The art in this chapter is from my lovely girlfriend @artyintheuk on twitter!


	3. The One, Two, and Three Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good times, some tense times, and some... good times again.

“Oh my god! You can totally see the boom mic in that shot!” Donald yelled with laughter as he pointed insistently at the TV.

Panchito pounded a fist against the armrest of the couch in a fit of laughter and José, pink in the face, lifted his can of beer. “You know what that means boys, take a sip.”

The rules of their drinking game had been established somewhere in the middle of movie 1 and now, nearing the end of movie 3, they were more than feeling the effects. Donald threw his head back and downed what remained of his can. He had long since lost count of the number of cans he’d gone through, and threw his now empty can towards the growing pile besides the couch. As José and Panchito took a few more swigs of their own drinks, Donald reached into the case of beers by his feet and rummaged around for a fresh can. His vision wavered and made it difficult to grab one. 

“Maybe you should take a bit of a break.” José’s slightly slurred voice sounded like it was coming from miles away rather than right next to him.

Panchito patted a hand on Donald’s shoulder and pulled him to sit back against the couch, “José is right, sit the next few rounds out.”

Donald opened his beak to argue, but his stomach lurched in that moment and he knew it would be best if he followed their advice. He couldn’t imagine anything more embarrassing than getting sick all over his friends’ carpet. A bottle of water was thrusted into his hands and he didn’t need to look up to know José had given it to him. More than likely he was also worried about the potential of Donald ruining his clean carpet. 

“The dead guy on the ground is totally moving.” Panchito snorted, turning everyone’s attention back on the screen. 

José hummed and held his can out to Panchito, “That was fast, down the hatch I suppose.”

Panchito knocked his can against José’s with a satisfying  _ clunk _ before taking a swig. Donald watched in amusement as José pulled the can away from his face with a grimace. Earlier in the night José had lamented that he was only able to get the cheap shit they were drinking now, and how he vastly preferred much fancier and better tasting drinks. Panchito didn’t seem to mind, and he was much better at holding it down than Donald was. The movie droned on in the background of Donald’s mind as he tried to compose himself enough to get back into the game. His brain felt weightless in his head, and he swayed slightly to the side before his cheek landed on Panchito’s shoulder. Had Donald not been drunk he probably would’ve been horrified by this, but the soft feathers he found himself pressed against made him feel warm in his gut.

All his anxieties for the night seemed to wash away completely in that moment. He took a few gulps of water and watched the movie the best he could through lidded eyes. The three of them were pressed more closely together on the couch than they had been even an hour ago, but none of them seemed to mind. It was comfortable. Well, maybe comfortable wasn’t the right word seeing as they were tangled up in awkward positions, but it was pleasant. Donald didn’t even jump when he felt José’s hand squeeze his. 

“Are you feeling alright? You look sleepy.” José smiled at him in a way that made Donald want to kiss him. 

The thought flew in and out of his head so fast he didn’t have time to grasp it fully before he was responding, “I’m fine.” With a sudden jolt of energy he pulled himself off the couch and paused the movie. “I just had an idea.”

Panchito straightened up on the couch, an amused grin on his face, “An idea?” 

“Yeah,” Donald grinned back at him, “We should break into my uncle’s money bin.” 

The room was silent for a full minute before Panchito spoke up, failing to hide the amusement in his voice, “You have definitely had too much to drink. That’s a terrible idea.”

José nodded, but Donald didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up at the thought of causing a little mischief. “Do you not have a key to get in anyway? Would it really be breaking in?”

Donald scoffed and started to pace around the room, stumbling slightly, “You think he would give me a key? No way! We’ll have to be a lot craftier.”

He jumped slightly at the sound of Panchito rolling off the couch to sit on the floor. The squawk that accompanied this movement told Donald that José had come along for the ride unwillingly. It took every fiber of his being not to laugh at how José was now face first in the carpet, tail feathers in the air. Panchito, to his credit, looked mortified. He had obviously forgotten his leg was tangled up with José’s in his half-drunken state. 

“Sorry.” He offered sheepishly and reached over to help José up.

José’s red face was enough to tell how embarrassed he was, but he didn’t refuse Panchito’s help in sitting up beside him. He cleared his throat and brushed a few stray feathers back against his head.

“No offense, Donald, but if you think I’m going to attempt to break into one of the most secure buildings in the world and potentially get myself killed…. you have definitely had too much to drink.” José scoffed, turning his beak up at the other two.

Donald grabbed at his hands, pulling him to his feet, “Come onnnnn it’ll be fun~” he nearly fell over once he let go of his friend’s hands.

Panchito jumped to his feet, almost as if he sensed Donald was going to topple over at any second. “Why don’t we turn in for the night? It’s getting kind of late. You can share my bed if you’d like, Donald.”

“Okayyyy,” Donald hiccuped, leaning against Panchito for support. If he wasn’t so drunk he might have noticed the pink blush that now tinted the rooster’s cheeks.

José waved a hand at the both of them before heading off to his own bed. Panchito called out a “goodnight!” to him before leading the stumbling Donald to his own room. Even in his haze Donald couldn’t help but notice how messy the room was. A pile of clothes that were dangerously close to spilling onto the floor sat on Panchito’s desk chair and a few dirty dishes were scattered around the room. 

“Jeez Panchito, do you ever clean?” Donald grumbled, his filter completely gone.

“I’ve been busy with school. I promise I’m not usually this messy…” Panchito sounded embarrassed, so Donald left it at that.

Donald threw himself at the bed, not bothering to slip under the covers. He pulled a pillow close to his chest and took a deep breath. His eyes felt heavy, and he found it hard to focus on whatever Panchito was babbling on about at the moment.

“- and this assignment has been stumping me a lot and..” Panchito paused, “Donald are you asleep already?”

An annoyed groan was all he got back as a response. Panchito laughed softly, climbing into bed beside him. 

“You can be so cute sometimes, Donald.” He sighed, patting the duck on the back before settling against his own pillow. “Goodnight my friend.”

—-

Donald woke the next day hungover, but happy nonetheless. It was hard to be too grumpy anyway when Panchito cooked him a surprisingly big breakfast and made plans to continue the movie marathon next weekend. He left the dorm without saying goodbye to José, as he was still fast asleep and according to Panchito wouldn’t wake up until noon. They finished the horrible zombie movies by the next weekend, and not wanting the good times to end they decided to set aside Saturday for their official movie nights. It was strange for Donald to have such a consistent friend group in his life, but he found great joy in their company. 

His general mood improved the more he spent time with Panchito and José. Even Della’s teasing didn’t bother him as much anymore. When his uncle commented that he seemed to be in better spirits, a part of Donald wanted to snap at him for the comment, but he found he had no anger to release. 

It had been two months since their first movie night when Panchito approached him after their shared class. He looked uncharacteristically stressed, constantly running his hand against his comb and tapping on his guitar case. 

“Donald? I know you’re a very busy guy, but can I ask for some advice?” Panchito leaned down slightly to meet Donald’s eyes, which made Donald feel a little flustered.

“Sure, what are friends for? What’s going on?” Donald reached a hand to pat his arm, but felt embarrassed by the gesture and instead shoved his hands into his jacket pockets.

Panchito looked relieved for a moment, “Thank you. Well, I’m supposed to write a song for one of my classes... and I have no idea if it sounds good. Also, I get really anxious playing my guitar at the dorm because I don’t want to bother anyone. I could really use some help.”

A strange feeling bloomed in Donald’s chest. Not many people asked for his advice or help on anything, and he’d never had a friend confide in him about any anxieties. Even José was a much too private person to ever come to him when he was in trouble. He was filled with a desire to not disappoint his friend. If Panchito needed his help he would do everything he could. 

“Sounds like you need a quiet place to play.” Donald hummed in thought, “I know somewhere we can go. And don’t worry, I know a thing or two about music also so you can play your song for me and I’ll let you know what I think.”

The gracious hug Panchito pulled him into caught him off guard, but he managed to stifle his own surprised quack.

“Thank you! You’re too kind, Donald.” Panchito smiled, squeezing Donald a little tighter.

“Don’t mention it buddy.” Donald coughed, pushing himself away, “Oh, we should go ask José if he wants to come.” Donald tried to make the suggestion sound natural. The truth was that he was endlessly thankful for Panchito’s presence when he hung out with José. The rooster being around made him feel less nervous around his… crush? He pinched his leg, trying to shock the thought of referring to José as a crush out of his head. 

Panchito’s smile faltered a bit, “Uh, he told me he was pretty busy today… with classes and other stuff. We shouldn’t bother him.”

Donald shrugged, although a bit disappointed, “Alright. Let’s go then.”

—-

It didn’t take long for Donald to lead Panchito to a nearby park. He was glad for his hoodie that day, as the wind picked up around them. Panchito, whose usual unbuttoned shirt was now tightly closed up, seemed to regret only wearing one layer. Not many people were walking about in the cool weather, which made it easy for them to pick a spot to sit. Donald plopped himself down on the first swing set they found while Panchito chose to sit against a nearby tree. 

They sat in silence for a while (Donald was pretty impressed that Panchito managed to keep his beak shut for so long) before Panchito pulled his guitar out of his case and started to play for Donald. The melody flowed calmly through the breeze, and Donald found himself relaxing at the sound. He heard Panchito take in a deep breath, and just a moment too late Donald remembered he’d never heard his friend sing before.

It was beautiful, and he was not prepared. There were no other words for the voice that seemed to infiltrate his whole body and plant itself firmly into his heart. In an effort to keep himself together, Donald did his best to focus on the lyrics. Panchito’s voice was full of longing, like he was reaching out to someone who couldn’t hear him. When Panchito finished, his grip on his guitar loosened and he looked expectantly at his friend.

“Wow… you’re really great at singing, uh…” Donald blushed, “I guess the only critique I have is that the last line sounds a bit awkward.” Donald looked down at his lap, swinging a bit in his seat.

Panchito groaned in frustration. “I know right?” He leaned his head against the neck of his guitar, “I think I should just rewrite the last verse entirely. I can’t get it to work.”

Donald hummed, “Well, who’s it about?”

“What do you mean?” Panchito scratched at his cheek. Donald knew a bad liar when he saw one.

“Panchito, it’s a love song right?”

Panchito’s cheeks went red at that, “What? I mean, sort of. I don’t know if love is the right word... admiration maybe.”

“It would help if you could tell me something about them.” 

“I-I uh.” Panchito sighed, “Fine. I’ll tell you about them.” He adjusted himself on the grass, pulling his legs to his chest and resting his chin against his knees. “They’re… really funny. They always make me laugh.”

Donald clapped his hands together, “There you go. Put something in there about how they make you smile or something like that. It’s kinda cheesy, I guess but what love song isn’t.”

If at all possible, Panchito’s face got even redder, “I already told you it’s not a love song.”

“Whatever man, c’mon I need more material.” 

“... they’re really brave. Even though they act shy sometimes, they’re actually really bold. I’ve never met someone with so much spirit.” Panchito looked over at Donald, “Is that enough? Can I stop embarrassing myself now?” 

Donald nodded, “Yeah, sorry. This person sounds pretty interesting. Anyone I know?”

Panchito shook his head quickly, “N-No, definitely not.”

A sudden uneasy thought entered Donald’s thoughts, and he found himself asking “... is it José…?”

“Whaaaat??” Panchito sat up straight, looking genuinely baffled, “No way, it’s not him. When has José ever been shy?” 

Donald felt embarrassed for even asking, “Sorry, I had to know.”

“It’s fine.” Panchito waved a hand, and visibly hesitated before continuing, “Besides… José kinda hates me doesn’t he?”

It was Donald’s turn to look baffled, “What do you mean hates you? That’s ridiculous we hang out all the time.”

Panchito looked away, “F-Forget I said anything.” 

Donald squinted at him, “Panchito…”

“Fine!” Panchito slapped his hands to his face, quick to crack under pressure as always, “Listen, sometimes he acts really weird around me. It’s like he wants me to leave him alone, so I do, but then he gets kind of annoyed if I avoid him? And whenever I say we should invite you with us when we hang out he also gets like.. weird about that? I don’t know. Did you two have a fight or something? Am I misreading him? He’s so hard to understand…”

Donald blinked at him, confused by the sudden barrage of information. He thought they were all getting along perfectly. Was he just imagining the bond between them? The thought made his heart sink a little too deep in his chest. His first real friends and he had already messed up somehow. The frown on Panchito’s beak really didn’t suit him…

“José can be kind of hard to read…” Donald started, hopping off the swing and moving to sit across from Panchito on the grass, “But I’ve been friends with him long enough to know he has fun with you. We all do.”

“I know.” Panchito sighed, “It’s just. I don’t know. I’m having so much fun with you two, I never thought I’d find such good friends right away.” He paused for a moment, tapping his guitar aimlessly, “I’m just...”

“Afraid to mess it up?” Donald finished for him, staring wide eyed at the rooster across from him when he nodded. How could someone as effortlessly charismatic as Panchito share his anxiety? He almost wanted to laugh at how absurd it was.

They sat in silence for a few moments as Donald tried to collect his thoughts. He had never been very good at cheering people up. The only way he was able to get Della out of a funk was by telling a stupid joke. Well, it couldn’t hurt.

“Hey Panchito…” Donald grinned, “Did you hear about the kidnapping?”

Panchito looked confused, “No? What happened?”

“Oh don’t worry, it’s ok. He woke up.” 

Panchito’s face froze for a moment before his beak cracked open into a huge smile. He let out a few small chuckles before a laughing fit seemed to take him over and before he knew it he was rolling around on the grass. 

“T-That joke! That joke is so stupid!!” Panchito yelled, gripping at his stomach.

Donald smiled, an unfamiliar feeling of accomplishment blooming in his chest. “Sorry, you just looked so sad. I had to do somethin.”

Panchito sat up and positively BEAMED at him, “Thank you…” he picked up his guitar and strummed idly, “... you do always make me laugh.”

  
  


—-

  
  


Morning classes were always a slog for Donald to get through. He cursed himself for scheduling his most boring lectures so early in the morning. The duck would consider himself a thousand things before considering himself a morning person, but with enough coffee he managed to make it through each one with all the energy he could muster. 

Truth be told, what he most looked forward to in his day was spending time with José when he took a break for lunch. José had really gotten into the groove of working at the library, and he didn’t even have to ask to be allowed to step out for a while when Donald would approach the desk. The librarian would just smile knowingly and shoo them both out. Still, even though their lunch became routine, Donald still got complicated knots in his stomach when he was alone with José.

“What did you bring today?” 

Donald lifted the cold pizza in his hands before taking a bite of it, “Leftovers.”

José hummed, taking a drag of his cigarette before speaking again, “I hope it doesn’t rain today.”

They had sat in their now usual spot behind the library against the brick wall, and also as usual their shoulders were pressed against each other in a way that made Donald’s stomach do flips. He nodded in response to José but held his attention solely on his lunch. He was afraid if he thought too much about his friend he’d start sweating.

“.... did you and Panchito have a good time the other day? Where did you go off to again?” José looked at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

“Huh?” Donald swallowed, “Oh, right. Yeah, Panchito wanted a place to play his guitar and wanted my input. He’s got an assignment in one of his classes he’s worried about so I suggested we go to the park to clear his head. It’s really nice there this time of year. Nice and cool, not too crowded.” He picked off an olive from his pizza slice and flicked it into the grass, “The song he’s working on is pretty cool actually it-“

“Why didn’t you invite me?” 

Again, Donald found it difficult to read his mood. 

Donald frowned, “I did. Well, I told Panchito we should invite you and he said you were busy.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh.”

An uncomfortable silence filled what little space there was between them. If Donald couldn’t feel José against his shoulder he would have thought he was sitting alone. Suddenly he didn’t have much of an appetite, and quietly packed away his lunch. His thoughts drifted to his conversation with Panchito. Maybe José really did have some sort of problem with him. He wasn’t keen on asking, but he cared too much about his friends to stay completely silent.

“... I’m sorry. I think Panchito…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words, “I think Panchito is worried you don’t like him.”

José stood up so suddenly Donald almost fell over, “W-What? Why would he think that?”

Donald blinked up at his friend, he’d never seen him so flustered before, “I don’t know! I’m not him.” He tried his best to remember what exactly Panchito had said, “Look, it’s probably nothing. I think Panchito is nervous because he really likes hanging out and wants to be good friends with you. He doesn’t want to screw up. That’s all.”

At that, José’s cheeks went pink, “Oh.” He took a long drag of his cigarette before sliding back down next to Donald. “I’m sorry for sounding so… what’s the word... accusatory.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Donald stared at him, still confused about his reaction. “Are you ok? You look… stressed. I thought José Carioca didn’t get stressed.” 

“Everyone gets stressed.” José said simply, staring up in the sky.

With all the courage he could gather, Donald lifted a hand and put it over José’s. He gave it a squeeze and sighed, “You know you can talk to me about anything.” 

His heart leaped up into his throat when José turned his hand to properly  _ hold _ Donald’s. His amber eyes met Donald’s and a smile formed on his beak.

“I know. I’m sorry for worrying you. I promise you I’m ok.” José leaned his head against Donald’s shoulder, “Thank you, my friend.”

Donald was surprised he managed to quack out a “No problem” without stuttering. He decided not to push José to say anything more and instead focused on their shared warmth. Donald didn’t remember how long they sat there together, but he remembered never wanting it to end.

  
  


—-

  
  


The odd air of uncertainty surrounding their friend group seemed to clear in the following month, much to Donald’s relief. In fact the only pressing matter any of them were dealing with were the approaching midterm exams. They sat in his room, each of them working on review guides but none of them getting much done. 

José groaned from his seat on Donald’s bed, slamming close a book with ‘French for Beginners’ written across the front and tossing it unceremoniously onto the floor. “My head hurts, I don’t think it appreciates me trying to cram in more vocabulary than it can fit.”

“It’s your own fault for taking two language classes this semester.” Donald huffed, thumbing through his ‘Intro to Business’ book at his desk. “At least you don’t have to take my statistics class.”

Panchito clicked his tongue from his place on the carpet, “Boys boys, all this complaining won’t help you study.” Donald and José shot him an annoyed glare which Panchito pointedly ignored before continuing, “Administration forced a ‘History of Duckburg’ class onto my schedule and you don’t see me throwing a fit.”

José hummed, “I remember having to take that class last year. It was actually kind of interesting.”

“How come I never had to take this class, is it a requirement?” Donald scratched idly at his chin, having long since given up on reading his textbook.

“Because you live here, Donald.” José shook his head as if chiding a child, “Obviously, only students from out of state have to take that class.”

Donald blushed, “Oh, I didn’t know that…”

“Why should you be expected to know that anyway,” Panchito waved a hand, “Zé is just being a bully.” He laughed when José’s notebook missed his head by a few inches.

José lifted his Spanish textbook, “Oh ho, you won’t be laughing when this hits.”

“I was kidding!” Panchito chuckled, holding his hands out in front of him, “Have mercy, Zé!”

“Just this once~” José warned, shaking the book in the air before tossing it to join the other on the carpet.

Donald laughed, “How are you going to get any studying done when all your books are on the floor?”

José brought a hand to his chin, “What a predicament I have found myself in.” He turned to slide off the bed and onto the floor next to Panchito. “There, problem solved.”

Panchito smiled, picking up José’s long forgotten French book and holding it out to him, “Honestly José I think it’s amazing that you’re able to take Spanish and French at the same time.”

If Donald hadn’t been looking he would have missed the way José’s cheeks went a slight red. 

“It’s nothing special.” José took the book from Panchito. “I know I complain about the workload a lot, but I love learning different languages. I want to be fluent in as many as possible so I can travel the world alone with no worries.”

Panchito tilted his head, “Wouldn’t you get lonely?”

José seemed surprised by the response, but recovered smoothly. “Hm, yes, well I suppose I’ll have to find someone to come with me.”

The way José’s eyes drifted to meet Panchito’s brought to life an ugly jealous monster that had been lying dormant in Donald’s chest for months. He turned quickly to stare at his book but the words looked jumbled and out of order to his frazzled brain. He couldn’t even really place what he was jealous about, or why it was upsetting him so much. The monster in his chest grumbled disapprovingly when he tuned back into the other two’s conversation in time to hear José laugh at something silly Panchito had said.

Donald sighed and turned in his chair to look at his friends, “I think my brain needs a break. Anyone want a snack or anything I can grab from the kitchen?”

Before José and Panchito could make their requests an overly enthusiastic Della bursted through the door. Donald jumped to his feet almost as quickly as she burst in and moved to push her out of the room.

“How many times do I have to tell you!!” Donald growled, raising his arms as he approached, “KNOCK!”

Della pushed the palm of her hand to his forehead, keeping him out of arm's reach. “Sorry sorry, I know. I just had to tell you something incredible!”

Donald clawed feebly at the air between him and Della as she kept him back, “Not interested!!”

“Come on Donald, don’t be a spoil sport.” Panchito laughed, getting to his feet.

“Panchito!!” Della gasped, dropping her arm and causing Donald to fall forward on his face. She rushed to the rooster, clasping his hand with hers and initiating their usual “”secret”” handshake. 

The two had become fast friends when first introduced to each other, something that seemed to aggravate José even more than it aggravated Donald. It wasn’t hard to see why they were close, the two were equally energetic and had a scarily similar sense of humor. 

José got up from the floor and put an arm around Della, pulling her slightly away from Panchito and closer to him. “Are you going to grace us with this incredible news of yours?”

“Right!!” She beamed, throwing her arm around José and pressing their cheeks together. “So, Uncle Scrooge and I-“

Donald, who had recovered from his face plant, lifted a finger up and wagged it at Della, “Oh no no NO! This is NOT about another adventure is it??”

“Well duh, what else would it be about.” Della laughed lightly, “You see, there’s a crater in Italy that-“

“Della!”

“Quit interrupting,” Della glared, “You could at least hear me out for once. I didn’t even get to the good part about the ghost and the pirate.”

Panchito whistled, “A ghost AND a pirate? I don’t know Donald, I kind of want to hear this story."

José nodded vigorously, practically shaking Della’s head with him, “Come on, it could be fun.”

Donald sounded desperate, “Della, you do know midterms are next week right? Do you  _ want _ me to fail?!”

Della frowned, “Of course not. I just thought…”

“No! No you didn’t think! You never do!” Donald growled, forcefully pulling apart Della and José before shoving her towards the door. “Get out!”

His sister was far too stunned by his sudden flash of anger to do anything but allow herself to be pushed out of the room. She didn’t even flinch when the door was slammed inches from her back. Donald leaned against the door, breathing heavily from the sudden burst. He turned slowly to meet the uncertain looks on Panchito and José’s faces.

It wasn’t the first time they had witnessed a fight between the siblings, but this one had been particularly short and nasty. Donald felt his cheeks going red as he tried to calm his pounding heart. Panchito was the first to speak.

“Are you ok? That was… kind of intense.” Panchito placed a hand on his shoulder.

“And unnecessary.” José added unhelpfully.

Donald shrugged Panchito’s hand off and stomped to the other side of the room, Panchito wasn’t deterred and followed after him, “I’m fine! Jeez! Can’t I be annoyed at my sister?”

“There’s being annoyed and there’s… whatever that just was.” José frowned.

“Not everyone can be as cool and calm as you, Zé.” Donald grabbed at his head, running his fingers forcefully through his feathers, “Look I’ve told you both tons of times that I have anger issues. This shouldn’t be a surprise anymore.”

Panchito reached out and took his hands, gently pulling them away from his face. “We know, we just wanted to help.” The sincerity in his tone only made Donald feel more embarrassed by his outburst.

“... I know.” Donald looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry.”

José approached him, taking one of his hands from Panchito. “Are we really who you need to be apologizing to?” 

Donald shook his head with a sigh, his head feeling a bit lighter. “I’ll apologize to her later. If I go up to her now she’ll probably try and kill me.”

Panchito barked out a laugh and pulled José and Donald to his chest in a tight hug, “Don’t worry Donald, we’ll be there to back you up.”

José smiled, leaning into the hug, “Always.”

  
  


—-

  
  


It was a week after midterms when Donald invited José and Panchito back to the manor. Panchito had come in his usual unbuttoned flannel and dusty jeans, and with his guitar case slung over his shoulder he looked indistinguishable from an indie rock star. José had underdressed for once, wearing a comfortable looking sweater appropriate for the weather. Instead of leading them to his room when they arrived Donald excitedly took them to the side of the manor and into the open garage. Before explaining anything to his confused friends, he pulled a water cooler to the middle of the room and posed on top of it.

“Welcome to the garage, boys.” He placed his hands on his hips, “As you know, Dumbella and Uncle Scrooge are out to, ugh, Italy so I have the house to myself.”

José raised a brow, “Don’t you have a butler?”

Donald rolled his eyes, “Ok,  _ mostly  _ to myself… the point is I thought it was finally time to make good on Panchito’s suggestion.”

“Huh?” Panchito looked around, “What suggestion would that be, exactly?”

“During our first class together you said we should introduce each other to some new sounds,” Donald hopped off the cooler and went to pull a guitar case from behind a sheet covered box. “What better way than to have a garage jam session?”

Panchito smiled big, “That’s why you asked me to bring my guitar! Alright alright, why didn’t you say so earlier?” He placed his case on the floor and took out his guitar.

“I see,” José walked over and sat on the now vacant cooler, “And what about me, my dear Donald? You know the only instrument I can play is the flute, and it’s not something I would associate with this… grunge aesthetic you’re going for.” 

“I thought you could play the piano too.” Donald pointed at a keyboard he was now pulling out from under a tarp.

José shook his head, “I said I could play a  _ little _ piano. I wouldn’t be able to freestyle.”

Panchito stood as he began to tune his guitar, “I guess you will have to be our vocalist, eh Zé?”

“Yeah sounds good to me.” Donald shrugged, “I have a ton of instruments if you want to just pick one up and give it a try though.”

José shrunk into himself a little. “Sing? I like to sing, yes, but I don’t have a strong voice like you two. Let me just watch for a little, ok?”

“Fine fine, but move your ass, your blocking access to the booze.” Donald smirked, pointing at the cooler José was sitting on.

“It better not be cheap.” José warned, standing and opening the cooler to pull out a cider, “How cute~”

Donald blushed, “Shut up, it’s what Della drinks.”

Panchito looked uneasy, “Don’t tell me you stole from her…”

“No way, not after the beating she gave me when I stole her stupid zombie movies. I asked and she let me have some.” Donald took the cider from José’s hands and popped it open. 

“At least it will taste decent.” José pulled another out, waving it at Panchito, “Want one?”

Panchito walked over, “Yeah, thanks.” He took it from his hand and held it out, “Let’s toast then, to friends and music!”

Donald lifted his glass to tap against Panchito’s, “To friends and music!”

They both looked expectantly at José who had already taken a swig of his own bottle, “... to friends and music, of course.” He grinned.

Donald set his cider down on a dusty looking lawnmower before sitting against it, “Start us off Panchito.”   
  
It didn’t take long for Panchito to find his groove, strumming some nameless tune and humming to the beat. Donald on the other hand stumbled a bit in his guitar playing, attempting to match Panchito’s melody. He grumbled a bit as he went out of sync with Panchito yet again.

José flinched, “No no no, Donald you’re thinking too much.” He stood from his makeshift seat, that was mostly a garden hose, after downing the rest of his bottle, “You need to feel the rhythm, put your body into it.”

Donald blushed, “It’s hard. Panchito’s just better at this than me.”

“Don’t be silly.” José approached Donald and took his hands, “Paco, play us a tune! Something we can dance to.”

“D-Dance?” Donald stared at him, wide eyed. “I have two left feet, you know that!”

Panchito was grinning, “Good thing José has two right ones.” He tapped his guitar, “Show me what you got, boys.”   
  
José twirled Donald around as Panchito started up a fast paced song. The guitar in his arms clattered to the floor, thankfully, unharmed, as José wasted no time in pulling Donald along. He tried to keep up with José’s movements, swinging his hips to the melody the best he could. His face went red with embarrassment as José danced circles around him as if he was born to do it. 

“You’re still thinking too much.” José sighed, taking Donald’s hands and placing them on his hips, “Here, feel how I’m moving?”

Donald tore his hands away immediately, a fire in his heart igniting like a bomb. “Y-Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

“Let the music flow through you. Let it guide you.” José smiled at him reassuringly, “Maybe you need some lyrics. Panchito..?”

Panchito nodded, “I got you covered.” He took a deep breath and belted out a yell before launching into a song.

Donald had to admit the words were helpful in finding his groove. He closed his eyes and started to move around the room, letting Panchito’s voice lift him and spin him. His feet felt light, and for once he wasn’t worried about horribly embarrassing himself. He opened his eyes to see José’s reaction, but nearly stopped in his tracks when he saw him.

José wasn’t looking at him. He was staring, frozen in place, right at Panchito. Panchito was lost in his own world, singing loudly and playing a beautiful melody. His handsome singing voice danced throughout the room and seemed to have launched itself straight into José’s soul. Donald wondered for a moment if José had ever heard Panchito sing before, and a moment later wondered if he had looked as dumbstruck as José did the first time  _ he _ had heard him.    
  
Something grew in Donald, and it was something unfamiliar. The jealous monster that lived inside him slept peacefully, and the red hot ember that usually accompanied his anger had been extinguished. The new feeling was strange, but not unwelcome. His body seemed to move on its own as he reached out and grabbed José’s hands. Without a word he pulled him along to Panchito’s singing. José finally seemed to snap out of whatever haze he was in and looked at Donald, eyes wide. He was blushing, furiously. Donald felt a laugh escape him, he remembered how hot his own cheeks had gotten the first time he heard Panchito’s singing voice. The shared experience made him feel that much closer to his friend. José’s beak turned up in a shy smile, and he moved to dance with Donald.    
  


They continued like that for some time, until Panchito’s playing slowly came to a stop and Donald and José could hardly feel their legs. The both of them collapsed on each other, smiling warmly. Donald looked up at Panchito to see him beaming, a dull pink dusting his cheeks. There was no doubt about it. They were all feeling the same thing Donald was. A feeling of comradery, and companionship. The music they shared was flowing freely between all three of their souls. 

“Guys…” Donald started, a little breathless, “... I think we need to form a band."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRRYYYYYY for taking so long. life comes at ya fast. Im 100% committed to finishing this fic.
> 
> Next chapter out in, idk, maybe a month or two. I'm already working on it. Thank you for all your comments and patience with me. Let me know if there are any typos ajskdf;l I tend not to read over a lot of the things I write LOL
> 
> u can follow me on twitter @kingdedede

**Author's Note:**

> It will take me probably another month to update again. Sorry, these things take time. Thank you for reading and please leave me a comment letting me know what you think of the story so far! 
> 
> As always you can follow me on twitter here: https://twitter.com/kingdedede
> 
> The art in this chapter was done by my lovely girlfriend who you can follow here: https://twitter.com/artyintheuk


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